1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to computer networks and in particular to virtualized local area networks (VLANs). Still more particularly, the present invention relates to private VLANs supported by distributed virtual switches.
2. Description of the Related Art
Virtual local area networks (VLANs) are known in the art and represent a broadcast domain in which a client (typically a virtual client) can send frames to other clients that exist within the same VLAN. Private VLANs (PVLANs) represent an extension of this virtualized network paradigm, in which additional security is provided within the network to prevent monitoring of the traffic being communicated, among other benefits. Private VLANs (PVLAN) are a standard feature set supported on most hardware and software based Layer 2 switches. The introduction of distributed virtual switches (DVS) to the PVLAN implementation adds a new layer of complexity to the virtualized networking paradigm.